Death and the maiden
by Belle Mort 13
Summary: This is an attempt at a modern day tale of Persephone and Hades. My summerys are dreadful please read. Please review and flames are welcome as long as you dont go overboard and it is valid critisism
1. Chapter 1

Hi every one

I got the idea for this the other day and I had to write it

I know that I need to do more work on my other story's but I have been going through hell recently and I am sorry but it has to wait a little bit longer

I don't really own anything! Except for this story and my cats.

A modern tale of Persephone 

Through a wide window without a pane of glass to protect against the cold the silvery moonlight falls across the sparse but tasteful furniture in the quiet room where I lay.

The darkness hovers constantly like a protective mother gathering her children into the comforting embrace of the night, trying to keep all safe until the brashness of the morning sun chases her away to hide behind corners and beneath the bed, but even then she follows and watches over us as a shadow until the light goes to sleep and she persistently starts over again.

I am home.

When I met death I wasn't afraid of him, but as a child I was never afraid of the dark either.

My mother always told me affectionately that: 'you were an odd child always moving around looking at every thing but from the day you was born you was as silent as the grave!'

she would then chuckle and tell me that 'we all thought that you were mute until one morning you sat up and said to me "mother" your voice as clear as any thing I ever heard! Damn near gave me a heart attack you did' then she would grin kiss my forehead and tell me that she felt like a bit of chocolate and would I like some?

That was always my mother an incurable chocoholic. The memory still makes me smile but the look on her face however when the doctors told her that she was lactose intolerant however makes me burst into hysterical laughter I haven't ever seen such a look of abject horror since.

But maybe I should start from the beginning?

When was the beginning?

Was it when the world was created or when the very first creature crawled from the sea?

Or was it when that very first land creature died?

The first death is a good a beginning as any I suppose particularly for this story, but that was a long while past and I should probably start a little bit later closer to the present day.

My name is Lilith and a bit later than my birth I was eight years old.

I was wearing a pair of blue overalls with a sunflower on the pocket and a hair ribbon that I had won in a game of chance at the renaissance fair that we were returning from.

I was Sitting proudly next to my big brother Deamon and waving at the cars on the road beneath the bridge laughing in delighted surprise when people opened their windows to wave back

'Look Deamon look their waving at us!'

Deamon looked 'they are to'

Then he smiled waving back once before returning to his seat.

'Did you have fun at the fair Lilith?' he asked still smiling

'Yep but I liked the dragons in the main square best'

'Dragon's?' He asked looking puzzled

Lilith frowned 'they were standing in a circle with fire coming out their mouths''

He blinked 'you mean the fire breathers? they weren't dragons Lill'

'If they breathe fire they are dragons it doesn't matter what they look like!' she replied decisively.

Deamon blinked 'I think in some strange way that made sense' he shook his head 'must be the heat talking' he muttered.

She pouted.

Outside the window, tall trees and ferns and to rotting logs flashed by.

Suddenly everything seemed less bright and the train didn't seem to be moving quite as fast Lilith turned to look at Deamon to see if he had noticed it as well up but up ahead there was a crunching sound and then the carriage tilted, shaking like a giant hand had just picked it up.

Lilith held onto the window sill but Deamon fell and hit his head on the wall then the carriage stopped rolling and settled into a tilt.

Lilith looked at Deamon there was blood on his face.

She screamed out for help

Out side the compartment there was a shadow walking past but hearing the scream it stopped and turned towards the sound. The shadow opened the door and saw Lilith sitting next to her brother and he frowned and stepped inside.

'What are you doing here?' he muttered.

Lilith frowned he was a teenager around eighteen years old wearing a black robe

'What happened?'

'Train crash. A tree fell on the line and the driver wasn't paying attention'

Lilith paused to process that

'Who are you?'

'Death' 'and you are?'

'I'm Lilith but you can't be death'

The boy frowned 'why not?'

'Because you're not scary'

He blinked then started laughing 'try telling that to them' he laughed gesturing to the front of the train.

Lilith frowned again 'death is an unusual name'

Death smiled 'it's not really my name it's more of a title'

'Then what is your name'

He smiled 'Azrael'

Lilith nodded in approval 'It suits you'

He was startled into laughing again, over all the years there had been a lot of different reactions to his name but never this one.

He calmly tossed his somewhat long white hair over his shoulder as he knelt down in front of Lilith.

'Thank you witch child no one has ever told me before' that he paused 'actually I can't remember the last time someone asked my name'

'But if they don't know your name what do people usually call you?'

'Well most of the time they swear a lot and call me by something quite rude' Azrael sniggered 'does that answer your question witch child?'

'Why do you call me witch child? My name is Lilith'

'And the name Lilith suits you well but if you're not a witch child then why can you see death?'

Lilith frowned 'I don't know but you're just standing there and every thing has stopped moving'

'That Lilith is because this is a special bubble of time that never moves, that way I can go all around the world in what seems to be an instant' he paused

'Think of me as a gothic Santa clause but instead of bringing stuff I take things away'

He grinned 'it means that I am never late but every one else is'

Lilith thought about that for a moment then started giggling.

Azrael laughed mildly surprised that she had gotten the joke.

'So who is this then?' he asked gesturing to Deamon

'That is my big brother Deamon' Lilith replied

'Your big brother?'

Lilith nodded suddenly worried 'do you think he will be ok?'

'Well if it makes you feel better he isn't currently on my list so it's probably just a concussion' Azrael looked at Deamon then turned to Lilith

'Just out of curiosity how old are you?

'Eight and a half she answered promptly'

'You're that young!' he asked startled by her apparent maturity

Lilith frowned 'How old are you then?'

Azrael frowned as well 'it depends. Are you asking my age or number of years?'

'Both please'

'Well I am eighteen I think but I have been around for about three point eight million years' he mused figuring out the math in his head 'but technically I have spent most of that time inside a bubble outside time so those years don't really count'

'All right' he decided 'I am about eighteen years old'

Lilith stared at him for a second and started to giggle

'What?' asked Azrael

'You're silly!' Lilith giggled some more

Azrael facepalmed

'Has anything like this happened to you before?' Azrael asked

'Nope. Well there was that time with the truck'

'What truck?'

'Well I was running across the road back home and this truck came around the corner really quickly, so I closed my eyes and I was sitting in a tree on the other side of the road, the other kids didn't want to talk to me after that and they told the other kids at school as well so people don't pick on me anymore, but they don't play with me either it doesn't really matter I didn't really feel I belonged there before the truck either.'

'Lilith' Azrael asked troubled by her easy admission. 'Are you happy with your life?'

'I love my mum and Deamon but I don't really belong much anywhere' she said softly.

Azrael smiled 'don't worry witch child it can be normal to feel a bit like that'

Azrael frowned and looked at the sky through the window

'I am afraid I have to go now'

'And you should probably get off the train soon witch child it's only a matter of time till the engine explodes.'

'Am I going to see you again?' Lilith said hopefully

'Do you want to?'

Lilith nodded

Azrael smiled 'thank you'

'Will I'

Azrael just smiled and nodded once before he walked away and closed the door of the compartment behind him.

It was suddenly brighter

Deamon groaned.

Deamon are you ok? Azrael said you might have a concussion can you stand?

'I don't know and I think with some help yes I can stand, what happened?' Daemon asked holding his head

'Train crash but Azrael told me the train might explode so we should probably get off now'

Deamon froze 'did you say explode'

Lilith nodded 'he said that it was a tree that fell on the track and that the driver wasn't paying attention'

'Incompetent idiot I hope he gets sued' Deamon muttered

'He's probably dead' Lilith stated blandly 'now lets go'

Deamon froze 'he's dead?'

'Deamon Azrael said it was only a matter of time until the train explodes we have to get off now!'

He blinked to clear his head then nodded 'help me out the window then'

Lilith smiled and skipped over to get the window open while deamon got shakily to his feet.

And they got just past the tree line before the explosion's started

Deamon gaped in shock

'It's beautiful' Lilith muttered watching in interest

Deamon grimaced 'grim little pyro aren't you'

Lilith blushed 'sorry'

'I hope no one got hurt' Deamon whispered

'Amen' Lilith added sadly thinking about the driver

He paused 'Lill back on the train you mentioned some one called Azrael'

Lilith nodded

'Who is he?'

'Death, but he was so nice Deamon! And he had the prettiest white hair'

Deamon paled if he had been any one else then little or no attention would be paid to his sister's claim but Deamon knew that Lilith saw things from a different page of reality than everyone else.

When she was a baby he was walking past her room and he saw small butterfly winged beings fluttering around her crib he had never told anyone.

And when she was four years old she had gotten lost at the zoo only for them to find her an hour later fast asleep curled into the fur of a snow leopard that had lived in a glass enclosure in the west side.

Besides there was the incident with the glass of milk

The incident with the dead rabbit.

The mirror in the bathroom.

The wooden wardrobe in the spare room.

And who could forget the truck last year.

He shuddered that one had freaked him out.

Over the years Deamon had seen some weird stuff around his sister and if she said that she met death.

Well.

'Lill please never tell anyone else about Azrael do you understand!'

'But'

'Please Lill remember the truck incident'

Lilith's face fell 'I understand'

Deamon sighed in relief 'good'

'Now I think He was right about the concussion so lets get closer to the wreck and wait for emergency services to arrive'

Lilith nodded and a few minutes later they started to hear sirens.

After the ambulance people took a look at Deamon when they arrived and declared that he had a mild concussion and was in shock.

Then he asked to call our home and had to calm our hysterical mother down so we could tell her which hospital to go to.

Half an hour later me and Deamon were told by mother that they were never allowed to go on a train ever again.

And that is an end of sorts

But not the end of this story.

I hope you like it is the first part of a three chapter thing

If you haven't read the story of Hades and Persephone you really should it is AWESOME

may the darkness Protect you and the light Bless you

Belle M


	2. Chapter 2

Hi every one

[smile]

Sorry this is so late

Happy reading

PLEASE REVIEW seriously even if it is only a flame please review PLEASE [puppy dog eyes]

Anyway enjoy [unless it sucks]

The next time I saw Azrael I was nine and me and my mother were visiting Miss Anderson at the local mercy hospital.

'Lill could help me out with these blankets?'

Lilith nodded and was quickly handed a bundle of blankets.

'Thank you dear'

'Mother why can't Deamon help?'

'Because he has homework to do.

'Come on we better hurry or we are going to be late.'

And with that her mother hiked her box of books and pillows up a bit higher and marched off across the parking lot with Lilith taking up the rear.

As soon as they got inside the lights dimmed a bit and Azrael walked through a door on the left hand side Lilith blinked and looked at her mother who has stoped mid step, and grinned

'Azrael'

He looked up and over towards Lilith and her mother was standing

Lilith waved

He waved back smiling at her and placed the clipboard back down on the counter and walked towards her.

'Hello witch child! How are you?'

'I'm good'

'How is every thing?'

'It's ok what about you?'

'The same as ever I am afraid'

'I am sorry I can't stop to talk properly witch child but I am already off schedule'

'Do you know where the burn unit is?'

'Around the west side beside the far staircase' Lilith called back he smiled

'Thank you Lilith how are those kids treating you?'

Lilith frowned trying to think back to their previous conversation

'They still try to avoid me but who cares'

Azrael frowned

'Are you happy with your life?

'I love my mother and my big brother Daemon but still I don't belong'

'I am sorry to hear that witch child but I am afraid I have to go'

'I understand' she laughed 'go on but promise that next time you will stop to talk'

Azrael smiled, waved at her and ran towards the burn section.

The second he got through the doors on the other side it seemed lighter and the chatter resumed.

I smiled and ran after my mother.

The third time we met was five years later. I was fourteen years old

The stars were like tiny shards of ice scattered on the floor of heaven gleaming down as they spun in their eternal cosmic dance through the midnight sky. Lilith breathed in deeply, the cool night air searing her lungs pleasantly she held it for a moment before letting it out smiling when a cloud hung in the air for a moment before dissipating.

Lilith slowed slightly to watch the patterns the moonlight created on the forest floor.

The shadows stoped moving and the moonlight seemed slightly less brilliant.

Lilith paused and turned the bend in the path to see a small public toilet she frowned and went to walk past when a shadow emerged from the girl's toilets

'The nerve she snarled placing her hand on the butter knife in her waist band (just in case).

The shadow stepped into the light and blinked at her

'Lilith!' he cried out

Lilith gasped 'Azrael! How are you? It's been forever.'

She paused 'what on earth were you doing in the female bathrooms?'

He appeared to be embarrassed

'Suicidal emo numbers are up this year' he said by way of explanation

Lilith frowned 'someone died'

'That usually is the reason why I go somewhere' Azrael stated wryly

Lilith still looked uncomfortable so Azrael added quickly 'she wasn't a nice person though her reason for killing herself was to punish her mother for not buying her an expensive dress'

Lilith blinked 'what kind of reason is that!?' she exclaimed outraged

He nodded

'So how is everything in your life?'

Lilith sighed and started to tell Azrael a quick summery of everything that had happened since they had last seen each other.

And Azrael cheerfully confirmed the existence of area fifty one and other interesting titbits of information that had Lilith gaping in shock but after a while Azrael's constant glances towards the sky started to worry Lilith

'What is it that you want to ask?' she finally interrupted feeling exasperated

Azrael smiled 'do you feel you belong?'

She blinked and eventually slowly shook her head

'No' she whispered' I never have'

Azrael sighed 'do you like your life?'

Daemon doesn't need a little sister any more but my mother still needs her daughter'

She spoke calmly as though the words were known by heart 'I always knew. From the first time I saw you when I was eight years old'

Lilith turned and looked at him with a soft smile on her face 'it isn't time yet though.'

Azrael nodded solemnly and shook his head.

'No' he replied

'It isn't time yet'

Lilith looked at him 'I think it's time for you to return home'

He nodded slowly glancing again at the sky then stood up.

'Will I see you again?'

'Do you want to?'

'Yes.'

'Thank you witch child. I want to see you again as well'

And with those final words he left.

Then I returned home knowing that the next time I met him I would have a different answer to his question.

So what do you think?

Now there is a button just there that needs to be pressed after pressing write what you think

[smile]

I have recently discovered a band that is the most amazing band ever!!!!!

°º¤ø„¸ °º¤ø„¸¸„ø¤º° ¸„ø¤º°¨  
¨°º¤ø„¸ NIGHTWISH ¸„ø¤º°¨  
¸„ø¤º°¨FOREVER¨°º¤ø„¸

¸„ø¤º°¨¸„ø¤º°¨°º¤ø„¨°º¤ø„¸¸

Ahem: nightwish ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

_**May the darkness Protect you and the light Bless you**_

_**May hope step with you**_

_**and may peace be your companion **_

_**your friend Belle M**_


	3. Chapter 3

This is chapter three [yay]

Also I just got my first review for this story a big thank you nekofey69

Now the third part of this story is pathetic but………… yeah

Any way please REVIEW!!

Thank you

We were in a hospital room

mother had had a heart attack

I was eighteen years old.

A dry rattle emitted from their mothers throat and the monitor went still

Deamon screamed for help

And Lilith just stood there crying silently.

And the door opened and every thing seemed to dim slightly

Deamon grabbed my hand as every thing paused as Azrael stepped into the room.

Deamon looked at him

'Who are you?'

'Death, I am sorry for your loss'

Azrael turned to Lilith

'Your brother shares a small amount of your gift just enough to see but not enough to interact'

His tone softened slightly 'how have you been witch child?'

Lilith smiled softly

'I am eighteen you can't call me that any more'

He paused 'you may be right my apologies lady witch'

He frowned at her 'you aren't on my lists did you know? After I met you the second time I checked the rosters you aren't there your brother is of old age I think, but you never die'

'Are you surprised?' Lilith whispered

Azrael shook his head 'no I'm not on the rosters either'

'Are you happy with your life?'

'I love my brother Deamon but he no longer needs me'

'Do you belong.?'

'No but I want to.'

'Would you like to come with me to rule the afterlife at my side for all eternity?'

'Yes.'

Lilith smiled softly and deamon looked at her 'do you want this truly?'

'More than any thing.'

He smiled 'then I wish you both an eternity of happiness just promise me that when I die that you will visit regularly'

Lilith looked at Azrael who nodded smiling and said 'we can do that'

Lilith laughed and Deamon looked at Azrael and said calmly 'take care of her or we will see if death can bleed!'

Azrael laughed 'I assure you I can and it hurts as well!'

He pulled up the arm of his cloak to show an impressive scratch 'an old lady with long nails got me yesterday'

Deamon laughed and Lilith frowned

From behind them came a 'if this is heaven then I'm going to be royally ticked'

They turned to see Lilith and Deamon's mother standing next to her body looking annoyed

'This isn't heaven dear' Azrael said calmly

'But I am dead right?'

'Yes'

'Ok I have three questions'

'That seems reasonable' Azrael agreed

'First where am I going?'

'The afterlife'

'Now that I am dead am I still lactose intolerant?'

'No as you no longer have a body all bodily concerns are behind you'

'Fantastic that only leaves one question where I am going is their going to be chocolate?'

'There should be'

'Ok then bring it on lets go'

'You're taking this surprisingly well'

'Why complain about what can't be changed?'

Azrael looked at Lilith 'she is most defiantly your mother!'

Azrael held out his hand to Lilith and when she took it he held open the door for her mother 'bye Deamon take care of your self I want to be cremated' she called

'Bye mom I will take care of it, Bye Lilith take care of your self' he replied smiling

'Bye Daemon see you in a bit'

'It was a pleasure to meet you' Azrael said calmly.

And then they left

I smile and look down at Azrael's hand in mine 'will I see you again?'

He grinned

'every day for the rest of eternity.'

I grinned back

Then we went home.

Done!!!

The end

Finish

Please place your rubbish in the bin on the way out

And please REVIEW!!!!!

[laugh]

I apologize for the lameness of the ending

_**May the darkness Protect you and the light Bless you**_

_**May hope step with you**_

_**and may peace be your companion **_

_**Belle M**_


End file.
